Family Reunion
by Lord Jaric
Summary: People from Orihime's long forgotten past have come looking for her, Ichigo and the others must protect her for dark forces are at work.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoy the story. Takes place after the Lost Agent arc

Special thanks to MoonPrincess623 for beta reading.

I don't own the picture used for the story.

* * *

**Prologue**

The creature roared into the night sky looking for prey to fill its empty void. It walked down empty streets looking for any soul that might be in the area. Its displeasure soon ended as the faint smell of spiritual energy entered the senses it possessed. The creature followed the scent for several blocks, tracking it's pray. As the monster turned the corner, it saw what it had been searched for. The pray had shoulder length raven hair, and was wearing white cladded clothing. They had their back turned to it, the perfect pray: unsuspecting and unaware. The creature slowly stalked towards the pray, inch by inch, foot by foot. Once close enough, the pray was pounced upon. That was the creature's first and last mistake. The prey, a man, turned around with a blue light extending from his wrist.

"Goodbye, Hollow," the glassed man said. A bolt formed at the center of strange source light, and with one movement the bolt was released. The attack hit the hollow dead center in its white mask. It slowly began to disintegrate. The man took in a deep breath; failing to realize what was coming from behind him.

"Uryū!" he heard someone yell. "Behind you!" He turned his head to stare dead straight into the black eyes of a hollow.

_Damn, no time to avoid or turn around! _the Quincy quickly thought in his mind. However, he was saved when a black fist rammed into the side of the hollow. The hollow went soaring in the forced direction, and slammed into the hard wall of a building.

"Are you alright Uryū?" his dark skinned friend asked.

"Yeah, thanks Chad." A loud roar interrupted them as the hollow jumped towards them. Each prepared to attack, but stopped when a slash cut the creature in half.

"Looks like your excellent ability to sense reiatsu is getting a little off Uryū," the new arrival said in a condescending tone.

"Shove it Ichigo." the Quincy answered back.

The orange haired boy was about to make another remark when he felt a presence behind him. He shifted his body to see a hollow quickly approaching him; to quickly for him to dodge. In a matter of seconds the hollow was just a couple of feet away from him. But before the hollow could strike an orange triangle formed between them blocking the creatures path. The hollow slammed into the barrier and was pushed back; it let out a roar of frustration.

"Ichigo are you alright?" a kind voice called to him in concern. He looked down to see his long auburn haired friend.

"Yeah, thanks Orihime I owe you one."

A piercing roar filled the night sky he turned around to see the hollow that tried to attack him was joined by three others. "Everyone get ready." Ichigo lowered himself down to the ground to join the others in preparation for the attack.

* * *

_Interesting._ The blond haired ex-captain thought to himself. _Six hollows showing up in the same area at the same time. Unheard of in a natural sense. Unless a powerful individual is commanding them… or someone is using hollow bait._ He took a couple of whiffs of the air and detected it. _There it is the scent of hollow bait. But it is faint. Only a small amount was used. Just enough to call a small amount of hollows: like the six tonight. _

Someone was out there. Watching. Waiting for something to happen. He expanded his senses to find the culprit. Whoever they were, they were hiding themselves well. But they were unable to hide themselves completely for long. He slowly stretched his senses towards the source, but still found it difficult to detect. All he could do now was to identify who it was. The blonde male quickly found out that it just wasn't one person—but two. He sensed out what kind of reiatsu they had. To his surprise, their reiatsu was familiar to him. It had been fourteen years since he had seen them.

_So you finally found what you want._ He turned around and entered his little shop. He walked passed Jinta and Ururu who looked on in wonder of his serious domineer.

"Mr. Urahara, are you going somewhere?" Tessai asked the man as he picked up Benihime.

"Just heading out to keep a promise," Urahara simply replied as a brown haired hazel eyed man crossed his mind.

* * *

The last hollow began to disintegrate as the corrupted soul was purified and began its journey to the Soul Society. With the four of them teaming up together, the battle did not last long. Only a minute. The man who wore glasses in the group, however, could only wonder how odd the situation was.

"Does anyone else find this strange?" the quincy asked his friends to see if he had been the only one to notice.

"It does seem rather odd," Orihime answered, as she too, had noticed that something was off.

"Indeed," the silent giant commented.

"Someone want to fill me in on what you all are talking about?" Ichigo asked confused. Uryū just shook his head and pushed up his glasses.

"As usual, you sense of perspective sucks." a vain popped out from the side of the orange haired teen's head as the Quincy insulted him.

"Shove it Uryū!" Ichigo growled, and the raven haired teen was about to retort back but a gentle voice interrupted them, causing the two guys to both to go silent.

"Ichigo doesn't it seem odd for so many hollows to show up in the same spot at the same time?" Ichigo pondered his close friend's words for a moment.

"It does seem rather odd." the carrot top said, and his thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Orihime yawned. "I guess we could ask Hat and Clogs tomorrow, it's kind of late."

The others agreed and they all began to go their separate ways but Ichigo stopped his auburn haired friend. "Hey Orihime, why don't I walk you home."

"Wh…what?" she stuttered. "You don't have to do that."

"Well, it is pretty late. No telling what kind of creeps are out there." Orihime pondered that for a moment.

"Well, I guess if it isn't too much trouble."

"Of course it isn't any trouble, why would it be?" was her friend's reply.

The walk to her apartment was awkwardly silent. Ichigo couldn't really think of anything to say to start a conversation, not to mention the odd feeling he was getting in his stomach as he walked one of his closest friends to her home. Orihime was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the man she loved was walking her home. Before they knew what was happening, they were in front of her door. She wondered what to say to him. She was alone with him. Could this be the chance to openly reveal her feelings for him as subtly as she could?

"Well… I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning," she mentally smacked herself for not coming up with something better. He smiled at her.

"See you tomorrow then," Ichigo said as couldn't help but feel that something was off for the moment. "Goodnight Orihime."

"Goodnight Ichigo." He took his leave as she closed the door, thinking of how peaceful the night had turned into after the battle. However, unknown to him, two pairs of eyes had been watching them since the battle. The two stared at each other.

"Follow him," a female voice said to the other. Said other nodded and quickly left. She began her walk towards the young woman's apartment. _It had been years since I have last seen her. Will she have any memory of me?_ The female was at the door. She was hesitant at first, but she soon knocked on the door she had been searching so many years.

"Just a minute!" The woman heard the girl's voice from the other side of the door. She heard the door unlock. Her heart began to pound against her chest for the moment she had been waiting for such a long time.

"Can I help…you?" Orihime was confused by the presence of the person before her. It was as if she was looking into a mirror, revealing what she would look like as an adult. The older woman had long auburn hair like her own. She had hazel eyes like her own. She even had the same body type. She looked like she was in her late thirties.

"Yes, my dear you can help me," the woman said with a smile. A shiver ran down Orihime's spine over the fact that a complete stranger would call her "dear". "It's been so long since we last saw each other."

"I don't believe have ever met." Orihime was growing tenser by the second. Whoever this woman was, she was giving off a strange aurora and oddly she seemed familiar.

"Of course you wouldn't remember me." She seemed somewhat sad when she said that. "You were so young."

"Um, if you don't mind, it is getting kind of late." Orihime said a little too eagerly wanting to get away from the strange woman. "So I should be…" The woman moved so fast she hardly had time to register the movement. The woman's hand was gently pressed her cheek.

"Don't worry my dear," she said gently. "You'll get all the rest you need. And soon all will become clear." Orihime couldn't move. She was frozen stiff. She was also quickly growing lightheaded. Everything was becoming a blur. She felt her body grow limp as she slid down her door.

"That's it my dear, go to sleep."

* * *

He walked down the sidewalk back to his family's home. The orange haired man was trying to contemplate the odd feelings he had been having while walking Orihime home. Ichigo was unable to bring up anything for a conversation during the whole walk. It was as if something was holding him back. As the substitute continued to try and figure it out, he felt that something was wrong. He concentrated. What Ichigo felt made him feel sick. Orihime's reiatsu was dropping fast. And just after he had left her. The young man quickly turned around to make a dash for her apartment when something slammed into him sending the orange head fly in the opposite direction. As his feet left the ground, he felt a slight tug on his waist. His body slammed into the earth below him, and slide across the pavement.

"It seems that you are not too keen of your surroundings boy." Ichigo picked himself up to look at his attacker. The man was tall and well-built with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be in his fifties.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo glared at the man that stood before him. His anger only intensified when the man only answered with a smile. Ichigo pushed his anger down as much as he could. This man was the only thing that stood in his way to get to Orihime. Ichigo was about to charge when the brown haired man suddenly appeared in front of him. The older man's fist buried into the orange haired boy's stomach. To Ichigo, it felt as if all the air and been blown out of his lungs. As he began to fall forward, the older man kicked him across the street. Ichigo, once again, was picking himself off the ground. Only then did he notice the reiatsu emanating from the man. He made a reach for his badge only to find it missing.

"Looking for something?" the man called to him as he dangled the badge from his hand. The next thing Ichigo felt was a large foot burying into his gut.

* * *

She watched as the younger woman's eyes grew heavy. The hazel eyes slowly disappearing behind the eyelids. Orihime's body went completely limp as the last of her energy was drained from her body. The older woman was about to move to take the auburn haired girl away when a flash of light caught the corner of eye. She jumped back just in time to see a blue bolt fly between her and her goal. She turned just as another bolt flew at her. She griped the railings of the apartment complex's floor and pulled herself over. As the ground quickly approached her, she used her reiatsu to slow her descent.

"Orihime are you alright?" she heard a male voice call out. A quick minute passed by before the owner of the voice appeared before her. "Who are you and what did you do to Orihime," the glassed man asked. She did not answer. Her focus was on the blue bow connected to the young man's wrist.

"A Quincy? I thought you were all extinct."

"I am the last of the Quincy. Now answer my question." He lifted his bow threatening to back up his demand.

"Who I am is none of your concern. As for Orihime, she is unharmed. Now if you will excuse me, I will be taking her and being on my way." The boy glared at her in response.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Uryū stated clearly, but at the same time he was struggling to keep his focus. _Why does this woman look so similar to Orihime?_ To complicate things even further, he could feel that Ichigo was also locked in battle and losing. But the Quincy couldn't tell if he was fighting as a Soul Reaper or not. _His attacker must be with this woman. Are they after Ichigo as well? _

He pulled back on his bow. "I'm warning you. Leave now and take whoever it is that is with."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "You are very good at detecting reiatsu. No wonder you got here so fast." A halfcocked smile crossed her face. "However, I can't compile with your request."

The Quincy didn't hesitate to release a bolt at the women that threatened his friend. The woman however proved to be faster than expected. At every turn that she reappeared he fired off another arrow, which she would quickly dodge. She soon disappeared from his sight and senses. She hid her reiatsu perfectly.

"You going to have to better than that to beat me," he heard someone whisper behind him. He quickly turned around about to ready another arrow. The moment he came face to face with her she swept her hands through his bow and it disappeared. "Now you are mine."

She stretched out her hand towards him. She was inches away from touching him when she jumped back when a red slash passed between them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," a voice she hadn't heard in years chimed in. A voice she never wanted to hear. She clenched her fist, and her blood boiling; she turned to face the new arrival.

"You!" her voice seethed with anger.

"It's been a long time," Urahara stated, "Kasumi Inoue."

Uryū's mind took a twist when he heard the woman's surname. Surly his ears misheard the blond haired soul reaper. This woman couldn't be related to Orihime.

"Urahara…" he started to say but the man interrupted him.

"Not now Uryū," the seriousness in the man's voice threw the Quincy off. Urahara almost always acted like a clown, even in battle. But something about the situation at hand was making the older man be serious. His attention was then drawn to Kazumi. He could practically feel the anger radiating from her, He watched as her body tense and brace itself. "You might want to reconsider your next move. You're outnumbered and outmatched."

Kazumi gritted her teeth in reply. "This is far from over soul reaper." She turned around and walked away, Uryū was about to stop her but was stopped when a hand gripped his shoulder.

"Let her go. We need to get Orihime back to the shop."

"Who was that?" the last Quincy demanded to know.

"I'll explain everything back at the shop. You should call Chad and Tatsuki. It is best that they know as well."

"What about Ichigo? He is still fighting."

"Don't worry; he is going to have some backup."

* * *

Ichigo's body slammed into the ground for what felt like the hundredth time. His body was demanding that he stay down, but he chose to ignore its request. The man that was blocking his path to Orihime had been playing a game of keep away with his badge, all the while the man kept a grin on his face.

"To think that you are supposed to be the strongest among the four of you."

Ichigo was already pissed off at the man for attacking; now he was even more pissed at the suggestion that the brown haired man had been watching him and his friends for a while. The orange haired teen picked himself off the ground and charged at his attacker. He clenched his fist and pulled back his arm. When he came in range he thrust his arm forward making contact, but not with what he wanted. The man had brought up his own hand to grab onto the orange haired boy's fist.

"Is this all you can muster in your human form? Pathetic." The man slammed his leg into the boy's side, smashing him into a wall. "There is no point dragging this out anymore." He tossed the badge away. "Might as well finish you off."

As the older man launched forward preparing to strike. Ichigo tried to move but his body protested. The only thought that could even come to his mind as his end approached, was that he failed once again to protect _her_. He closed his eyes waiting for the attack; he heard a boom but no pain. He opened his eyes to see a black haired man dressed in a black shihakusho with a white haori cladding his left shoulder.

"Dad?" Ichigo questioned, completely bewildered at the intervention. From beyond his father, he could see the hazel eyed man steaming with anger.

"You!" Isshin said nothing in response.

"Dad what are doing here?"

His attacker looked at him. "Dad? This punk is your son Isshin?"

"He is, and he isn't a punk. Osamu, just like your son, he is a good kid." Osamu's eyebrow twitched at the comparison.

"My son was nothing but a useless disobedient brat." Osamu pushed away from Isshin putting some distance between them. "It is time for me to have revenge for your interference soul reaper."

"You might want to reconsider. Your wife has already retreated." The brown haired man could feel that his advisory was right. She had indeed retreated without the one they came for. He dropped his stance.

"This isn't over Kurosaki. We will return."

"And I'll be waiting Inoue." Ichigo's ears picked up at what his father just called the other man. Before he could say anything Osamu was gone. "Dad what the hell is going on? Why did you call him Inoue?"

Isshin picked up his son's badge and tossed it to him. "We'll go to Kisuke's. Everything will be explained there."

"I can't, what about Orihime? She's in danger." Ichigo picked himself up, ignoring the pain he was feeling and was about to press his badge against his chest.

"Don't worry, she is already safe and being taken to Kisuke's." The father and son dual made their slow track to the former Squad Twelfth's Captain's home, where Ichigo and his friends would soon have their world shaken.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed the first chapter.


	2. Origin

**A/N: **Here it is, the next chapter. Man I was not expecting to get so many Fav., alerts, reviews with this story so fast.

**Special thanks to MoonPrincess623 for beta reading.**

* * *

**Origin**

The blond haired man put the device he had just used away. He had spent half an hour using it on the young woman resting on the futon in his little shop, while her friends waited in the other room. He picked himself up from the floor and walked to the door all the while preparing himself from the barrage of question he would receive. The moment he slid the door shut, two people where in his face.

"What the hell is going on!?" One of those people being highly overprotected of the auburn haired girl; the other being the girl's best friend who was not only overprotective as well, but just happened to be Japan's second strongest woman.

"Now, now, Ichigo, Tatsuki," Kisuke said as he patted their heads with his fan. "I will answer all questions involving our auburn haired princess. So sit down so we can get to it." The two reluctantly sat back down by the others. The other occupants were Isshin, Yoruichi, Tessai, Uryū and Chad.

"Urahara," Uryū called for the scientist's attention. "You called that woman Kasumi Inoue. What is her relation to Orihime?"

"Wait," Ichigo said, "You too?"

"What do you mean 'me too.'"

"Dad, you called that guy Osamu Inoue, right?"

"Wait just a damn minute here!" Tatsuki yelled slamming her hands into the ground. "No one told me these people had some kind of relation to Orihime."

"They're her parents," Kisuke answered before the three could get out of hand. "And they have come to take her away." The whole room went quiet. The teens present all had bewildered looks etched into their faces; even on the silent giant Chad.

"Her… parents…" Tatsuki said, her voice quite astonished.

"They've come to take Orihime away?" Ichigo asked, while trying to wrap his mind around the new revelation.

"What's going on Urahara?" Uryū struggled to ask. Kisuke sighed.

_This is going to be a long night. _"Well, it all started fourteen years ago."

* * *

The small auburn haired girl sat patiently as the older brown haired man looked her over. She was spotting fresh bruises and cuts, all a result of the ridicules training every Inoue started to have when they turned three. He hated seeing his little sister be put through so much under the brutal regiment of their father. Their mother was no better for willingly letting it happen. He lightly brushed one of the bruises to which the little girl flinched.

"Sorry, Orihime." She just smiled back at him in understanding. He continued his examination, his mind made up long ago knowing what would befall him for doing so. "Orihime please heal yourself." She looked at him astonished.

"But dad said…"

"Forget what he said."

"But they'll know and you'll…," she said with great concern.

"I know but your wellbeing is more important," he said with great care in is voice. "So please heal yourself." Orihime was hesitant at first but did as she was asked. A golden dome formed over her and her injuries slowly disappeared. "There you go. Feel better now?" She chose that moment to jump at him and embrace him to say what she had been waiting to say all day.

"Happy birthday brother." Sora was taken by surprise by his sister's affection. He never really got to celebrate his own birthday… due to his status. Since Orihime had turned three he was more concerned for her then anything that had to do with him. But of course his dear sister would remember.

"Thank you Orihime," he returned the hug. "Now it's time for bed."

"Do I have to," she whined. Sora only smiled.

"Yes, you have to." She pouted saying how her brother was being mean after she was just being nice to him. He only smiled and kissed her on the forehead and pushed her off to bed. A few hours went by as he waited, waited for the fury that he knew would be coming his way. Their footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway as they approached his door. His door was violently opened and a large brown haired man entered Sora's room. The older man stormed towards the younger one with fury in his eyes. Sora didn't bother to prepare himself for what happened next. Osamu's large fist flew through the air and collides into Sora's jaw sending the young man crashing to the ground.

"You insolent brat!" His father yelled. "How dare you interfere in the training process!" As Sora began to pick himself up he felt the older man's foot dig into his ribs causing the younger one to fall back to the ground. As Sora struggled for air he saw that his mother was standing at the doorway; looking down on him in disapproval. "How many times must I beat you for you to understand boy?"

"Beat me all you like," Sora said defiantly. "She is my sister; and I'll do whatever it takes protect her." Osamu's blood boiled at the boy's response. The older man sent another kick into the boy's gut.

"If you interferer one more time," Kasumi finally spoke, "you will no longer be welcomed here." She turned around and walked back into the hallway, she was soon followed by her husband.

_I'm already not welcomed here._ Sora laid there for what felt like hours. He had been planning for months. He was hoping for more time, but now it seemed that his time was. He picked himself up and exited his room and walked down the long corridor. The big brother stopped in front of his little sister's bedroom door. "Orihime," he called as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a small voice called to him. When he entered he found his little sister lying in bed ready to fall asleep. Sora approached and sat on the edge of her bed and placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and concern flashed in her eyes. "Big brother your hurt!"

"I'm alright Orihime. My sister… it's time."

"We are leaving?" She questioned. "Now?" Her brother had kept her informed of his plans of leaving. To get away from all that went around them. She couldn't bear the thought of not having him around so she begged for him to take her along. Sora accepted without hesitation, hoping to bring her along anyways to get her away from all their troubles.

"Yes. Grab your things. We leave when they are all asleep." As the late hour of the night came, the two siblings took their leave of the compound. Only one other person would know, Sora had sent a letter to the one person he trusted the most.

Three days. For three days they had been running from town to town, trying to put as much distance behind them as fast as they could. Sora was so sure that they had gotten away that he felt like he could put his guard down. That turned out to be a mistake. The fourth night they were discovered, on the outskirts of a town, by their parents.

Sora laid bloodied on the pavement; his sister kneeling beside him, while his father stood over them. Their mother standing only a few yards away.

"You made a grave mistake Sora." Kasumi told him. "You shouldn't have taken her with you." The young man only glared back in response. He tried to get back up but the heavy foot of his father forced him back down.

"Brother!" Orihime cried. She raised her hands ready to undo the harm done to her brother but the strong hand of Osamu grabbed her arm and yanked her up into the air.

"Enough! You are coming back with us," He said. The old man was about to walk away when a hand griped his leg.

"Let her go," Sora demanded. Osamu was about to kick him away when a voice in the dark called his attention.

"Perhaps you should do as he asks," a man said as he walked into the moon light. The Inoues took a good look at the man. He was a tall muscular man with spiky black hair and brown eyes with a slight beard. Osamu dropped his daughter and she quickly went to her brother's side.

"Who the fuck are?" the elder Inoue demanded.

"Kurosaki, Isshin Kurosaki." Osamu approached the other man.

"You best leave Kurosaki. You are involving yourself in things you don't understand." He raised his reiatsu in an attempt to intimidate the foolish dark haired man, but Isshin was unfazed by the action. Instead, he raised his hand which was covered by a strange glove; he slammed it into his chest and then there were suddenly two Isshins. One fell to the ground, while the other stood tall in a black shihakusho with a white haori cladding his left shoulder.

"You're a soul reaper? Leave now. You have no business in this affair. Any further action will provoke a war." A questionable look crossed Isshin's face.

"Who are you?"

"We are Inoue." The surprise by the revelations was evident on the dark haired man's face.

"I see. Sorry to tell you, but I'm no longer affiliated with the Soul Society, so my actions are my own." The two order men lunged towards each other. Isshin drew out his sword while Osamu charged head on with his fist. The two forces collided causing a small shockwave that baffled the youngest individual.

"What is going on?" Orihime asked worried.

"It's alright," a kind voice behind her said. Orihime looked at the new arrival. She had long light wavy brown hair.

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

"My name is Masaki," she said with a kind smile. Masaki took a seat by the two young Inoues and again insuring them that everything would be alright. The fight between the two older men went on. Cold steal meeting rock hard fist. The battled seemed to be even; until a smirk crossed Osamu. As Isshin's blade came down, the elder Inoue's hand launched up and grabs hold of Engetsu.

"I'm through playing around." He picked up his leg and made contact with Isshin's side. The force of the attack sent the dark haired man into a nearby building. He tried to pick himself up but the pain proved to be too much for him. Isshin scolded himself for his carelessness; he had only just started to regain his powers, a decision he had made soon after the birth of his son. It was proving to be a long process. He was foolish to get into a fight at such a low power level.

"Time to finish you off soul reaper," Osamu said and moved forward for an attack.

"Isshin!" Masaki cried. She got up to get to husband's side, but quickly found herself in peril.

"You should be more concerned for you own wellbeing." The brown haired woman turned to find Kasumi only a few feet away, the energy absorbing woman's hand stretching towards her. The two Inoues' attacks were just inches away from making contact; when they suddenly jumped away. Two new arrivals interfering in their plans.

"Yoruichi?" Isshin said baffled by the presence of the dark skin, purple haired woman standing before him. Her arms crossed as she stared down Osamu with a smirk.

"Kisuke?" Masaki said equally as baffled as her husband. The blond haired soul reaper stood between her and Kasumi, his sword lightly griped in his hand.

"Isshin, Masaki. How's your day been?" Kisuke asked in a care free voice.

"More soul reapers?" Kasumi pondered.

"Exiled soul reapers to be exact." Yoruichi answered. The Inoues pondered what to do next. Each only could summarize that they were outnumbered and out matched.

"This isn't over soul reapers," the auburn haired woman said in anger. Her husband appeared at her side, he grabbed hold and they both disappeared. Leave the other six individuals at the outskirts of the town.

"Kisuke. Yoruichi. What are you doing here?" Isshin asked his old friends.

"We were just passing through town when he felt what was going on." Kisuke said, the tone of his voice suggested that wasn't entirely the truth. "Now who are you two…?" His question was meant for the two younger individuals, but he was interrupted when a golden dome formed over the oldest one while the younger one kept her hands stretched towards it. The four adults were astonished by the sight of all the wounds on the brown haired man began to vanish. When the boy was healed the dome vanished and the girl got up and ran to Isshin's side.

"Are you alright Mr. Kurosaki?" she said in a concern voice. Isshin, still dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed tried to brush his injuries off.

"I've been worse." He tried to get up but the pain in his side caused him to fall back down. _Must have broken a rib._ Suddenly, he found himself bathed in a warm golden light. All the pain he had went away. The dome disappeared and Orihime began to fall forward from exhaustion. Isshin quickly responded and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. Sora quickly came to his sister's aid. Isshin gently handed the sleeping girl over to her older brother. "Just who are you two?"

A took an hour, but the group eventually made it to Kisuke's shop in Karakura Town. Sora had taken the time to share as much information as he was willing to with the people that had just saved him and his sister. Who they were and why they were running away to begin with, and his sister's abilities. But there were something's he decided not to share with them. As an Inoue he grew up with a sense of mistrust towards the Soul Society.

"We will not be able to stay hidden for long," Sora told them. "They will come looking for us again. They just have to hone in on Orihime's reiatsu. It is best if we stay on the move." Sora sighed. "I just wish we could live in peace and forget all about them."

"I may be able to help with that." Kisuke informed him.

"How?"

"Well, my big friend here," the blond indicated Tessai. "Could seal away Orihime's power, that is, if you wish?" He then pulled out a strange metallic object. "And with this I could alter your memories to your desires so you two can find peace."

Sora debated whether to agree or not. The Inoue in him told him to refuse the soul reaper's offer. But the brother in him told him to accept. He nodded in agreement. It took time but the preparations were made. As Tessai sealed the sleeping girl's powers, Sora gave Kisuke the information to the exact memory alterations he wanted for him and his sister.

"Is there anyone you know that you would like to be told of the situation?" Masaki asked. Sora considered for a moment, the one person he trusted would wonder what could have happened if he didn't try to make contact with them. He felt he could trust woman more than the soul reapers so he gave her the necessary contact information. "Promise me one thing?" Sora asked Kisuke. "If something ever happens to me, you'll make sure Orihime never finds out about her past." Kisuke agreed to his request.

Sora woke up the next day in the apartment he had saved money for in Karakura. He looked at his sleeping sister with a smile. They had finally escaped from their abusive parents.

* * *

"And that pretty much sums up the situation." Kisuke told the teenagers gathered in his shop. The group was stunned by what they had just been told.

"So now what?" Uryū asked.

"Now we make the necessary preparations to keep Kasumi and Osamu away from Orihime."

"Why are they so determined to get her?" Tatsuki asked. "What's so special about her?"

"Sora was mute about that."

"She isn't going to take this well, is she?" Ichigo stated, concern evident in his voice.

"She won't remember." Kisuke pulled out the devise he had just used on the girl in question. "This is a special memory alteration devise of my own making. It is similar to a memory chikan, but it can alter memories to the user's desires. However, there is risk to it. The more memories you try to alter or the more it is used on someone, it could cause damage to the brain. Luckily this is only the second time I've used it and…" He didn't get a chance as Ichigo grabbed hold of him.

"Why did you use that on her if there is so much risk to it? And how will this keep her save from her parents? They're going to still come after her. How will changing her memories alter anything?"

"I altered her memories because I promised Sora I'd keep her from finding out about them. Tomorrow she will wake believing she went to bed. As for protection, we have taken samples of Kasumi's reiatsu off of Orihime and Osamu's from you Ichigo. With those we can put up a barrier around her apartment that will repel them specifically, and keep them from seeing any activity that goes on inside. We will also put up a cloak around Orihime that will make her appear different to them."

"Kisuke," Isshin called for his old friend's attention. "With all due respect, that may be able to keep her parents at bay for a while, but the others will eventually get involved."

"Others?" Chad asked?

"What others?" Ichigo demanded.

* * *

The two stormed through the halls. Anyone who looked at them would assume that they were just a calm couple taking a stroll. But those in the hallway knew to stay clear of them while their reiatsu was flaring. The couple came to two grand white marble doors. On the other side they entered into a dimly lit chamber. On the outer edge of the chamber were several individuals; at the center was a round table with ten chairs gathered around it, one of them was empty, some of the occupied ones had someone standing behind it. The two Inoues approached the table and bowed to the eldest man. Kasumi then took the unoccupied seat while Osamu stood behind her.

"Kasumi, Osamu," the eldest man called, "you did not succeed in your mission." Kasumi flinched at having her failure being pointed out by the man.

"There were complications," she stated, "Chief Inoue."

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. The Inoue Clan

**A/N: **My lord, it's an update. Sorry everyone for the long wait. School and work have taken up my time. This chapter is shorter then the others

* * *

**The Inoue Clan**

"What kind of complications?" Chief Inoue asked after Kasumi made her statement. The clans meet had been called to gather on word of her and Osamu's success or failure. When they forwarded a report of failure the Chief had ordered that every member of the Inner Chamber be present.

"Several people interfered in the retrieval of Orihime Inoue." Kasumi stated. A quiet chuckle came from across the table. "Do you find something funny about this, Hibiki?"

"Yes. I do find something funny." A brown haired man with classes said. "This was the same excuse you used fourteen years ago. It would appear that you aren't putting much effort into bring your daughter back to the clan."

"These are not inferior humans that we are coming across. These are spiritual aware individuals. Last time it was three soul reapers. This time we had to deal with two of those same soul reapers along with another one. As well as a quincy."

"A quincy?" A long black haired girl asked from the other side of the chamber. "How is that possible?" There was a slight stir at the table by the girl's interruption.

"Akira." The Chief called to her. "You are new member of the Inner Chamber and not fully adapted to the rules. Only members of the Inner Circle are allowed to speak freely here. The rest of you only speak when spoken to. I will only warn you once. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Chief Inoue."

"To answer your question Akira," Kasumi continued her report, "the boy said he was the last of the quincy."

"Our daughter has become friends with some very strong individuals." Osamu continued the report. "After using hollow bait to lure out any spiritual aware beings she reveled herself along with three others. A young soul reaper, the son of the soul reaper Isshin Kurosaki, the quincy, and a fullbringer. Each one is quite capable of putting up a fight." Osamu omitted how he beat the soul reaper boy into the ground to maintain his integrity in the chamber. He also knew that if the boy had been in his soul reaper form the fight would have been different.

"From your report sounds like you are dealing with a bunch of kids." A young black haired man said at the table. "Are you saying that two of the senior members of our clan can't deal with a bunch of brats?"

"Hold your tongue boy." Osamu gritted through his teeth. "You are too young to understand the delegacy that is needed to perform this operation. If the Soul Society gets suspicious of what we are doing they might find out our plans."

"Don't silence me old man. I'm a member of the Inner Circle and have a right to voice my opinion and my concerns. You and Kasumi had an arrangement with my parents; don't think their passing has nullified it."

"Shun," Kasumi spoke up before her husband could fire back, "we have not forgotten the arrangement. We attend to fulfill it."

"Enough." The leader's tired voice called for order. "This bickering solves nothing. Kasumi, Osamu, can you guarantee that you can retrieve Orihime."

"Yes, Chief Inoue." Kasumi answered.

"Very well. This Clan's Meet is adjourned." All the members of the Inner Chamber began to take their leave, however the Chief still had business with one of them. "Kasumi, I wish to speak with you in private."

* * *

Kiskue could already see the barge of questions coming his way. With the reveal that there are others after Orihime the gang was going to want to know who they were.

"Before any of you fly off the handle, yes, there are others that may be after Orihime. Many others." The former captain informed them. "Orihime was born from a very powerful Clan. The Inoue Clan."

"The Inoue Clan?" Uryū asked. "Who are they?"

"It's not a very well known in the Soul Society, only the senior captains are fully aware of them, and before you ask it's not a secret either, but the Inoue Clan is a very powerful clan and much like the quincys, they are at odds with the Thirteen Court Guards." Kisuke saw Uryū raise an eyebrow at his statement. "There reasons however are very different. Long ago the Inoue ruled over a great many people. They saw ordinary humans as inferior beings and that their powers made them gods. So they forced people to worship and obey them. This didn't go unnoticed to the Soul Society. They sent emissaries to the Inoue Clan and demanded that they stop abusing their abilities. The Inoue killed them and started a very bloody war against the Soul Society."

"How could they expect to take on the entire Soul Society?" Ichigo asked. "Surly the Soul Society would have over powered them."

"Unlike with the quincys who's abilities were similar to one another, the Inoue were more harder to pin down. No offence Uryū."

"Just keep explaining." Uryū stated out of annoyance.

"Well you could say each Inoue is unique in their abilities which made a war with them difficult. Case and point, Orihime's abilities and her parents are very different from each other. Kasumi has adsorption powers and Osamu has strength and speed. You could divide the Inoue into categories, such as elementals. However even then they are still unique in how their powers work. This is what made fighting them so difficult. One Inoue could take down ten soul reapers before going down themselves. But even they started to suffer from their casualties. The Thirteen Court Guards could replenish their numbers with new recruits while the Inoue had to go through a more human process." The blond soul reaper said the last bit in a way that made the others roll their eyes. "The war got to a point where both sides wanted it to end. A peace treaty was made. The Inoue Clan would stop betraying themselves as gods and the Soul Society would stay out of their internal affairs." The gang took in the information, astonished by what Orihime was part of.

"There is something I don't get?" Tastsuki asked. "If there are those in the Soul Society that know of the Inoue then why didn't they say anything about Orihime?"

"Well, they did actually." Kisuke informed her. "I had to convince them that she had no memory of her lineage and was no threat to them. It proved difficult to convince them a second time."

"A second time?" Ichigo glared at him. "What do you mean a second time?"

"Well, when she was taken to Hueco Mundo there were those convinced that she gained knowledge of her past and went to join Azien to fight against the Soul Society." Ichigo clenched his fist when memories of the Head Capatin calling Orihime a traitor came back to him. "However as we all know Orihime would never turn against us. That sums up everything I know on the matter of the Inoues"

"So we can expect them to send more people to get Orihime?" Uryū asked. If they had to deal with an army of them he knew that they would be in trouble.

"We're not entire sure what the Clan's involvement is in all this." Isshin spoke up after a long silence. "So far only Kasumi and Osamu have made an effort at getting Orihime. This could just be a case of her parents just wanting her back. No other member of the Clan has shown themselves. All we can do now is wait and see."

"While we wait," Kisuke said, "why don't one of you take Orihime home. By the time you get there the barrier should be up in place around her apartment."

"I'll do it." Ichigo volunteered himself; he wanted to make sure she made it there safe.

"I got a spare key." Tastsuki explained. "So I'll come with you."

* * *

The chamber emptied with the exception of two of the Inoue. The elder Inoue slowly got up from his seat and made his way to a room off to the side. Kasumi quickly followed. The room was of a moderate size. It had an elegantly designed marble desk with dragons carved into its sides. A lit fire place was behind it. There was a shelf filled with old scrolls and new books. The old man sat down and looked ready to fall asleep.

"Chief Inoue?" Kasumi said quietly

"Kasumi, you know you do not need be formal with me when we are alone." He spoke gently.

"I apologize father." A small smile formed on her face. "It is not often that we are alone with each other."

"You are quite often away on the search for your daughter."

"I was so close to her father." She clenched her fist. "After so many years I almost had her."

"I understand that you want her back. The clan needs her as well." He was about to continue when a strong cough overcame him. His daughter quickly came to his side a grabbed a bottle of pills and gave him a couple of pills. When the older man was able to catch his breath he continued. "My time is almost up. You will take on the mantle of leadership soon."

"Father." She said in concern.

"Do not worry my dear; there is still time." He took in another breath. "I didn't want to say this in front of the others for your honor, but we can't wait for much longer to retrieve Orihime. I'll give you a week. If you are unsuccessful I will have to send in a second team to assist you."

"I understand father. Now get some rest." With their business concluded she took her leave.

* * *

Ichigo, with Orihime in his arms, and Tastsuki entered their friend's apartment. Tastsuki set out Orihime's futon so Ichigo could lay her down. Ichigo was hesitant to leave Orihime alone when the time came to leave.

"We should keep this from her." Ichigo stated.

"I agree." Tastsuki said not liking the fact that she was being forced to keep her closest friends past a secret from her. "But what can we do? Kisuke has already altered her memories."

"I don't know but we have to figure something out. Her parents are just going to keep on coming for her and she is going to find out in the worst possible way."

"Let's talk to the others when we get the chance. Perhaps we can figure something out."

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed. Might be a while before I'm able to update again.


End file.
